Secret-door lock.



A. M. JOHNSON.

SECRET DOOR LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. lo, 1915.

1,1 83,464. Patented May16, 1916.

TEE.

l "ga AMASA M. JOHNSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SECRET-DOOR LOCK.

To all 'wlw/m, it may concern:

Be it known that I, AMAse M. JoHNsoN, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented new and useful Improvements in Secret-Door I'iocks, ofwhich the following is a specificamen- This invention relates to locksespeclally adapted to be used in conjunction with secret panels or doorsand it consists in the novel features hereinafter described and claimed.

An object of the inventlon 1s to provide a lock pf simple structureadapted to be used in combination with a panel or door positioned in aframe in the wall of a building, the parts of the lock being so'arrangedthat they will hold the panel secure 1n a closed position and at thesame timev there are no parts visible at the exterlor of the panel ordoor to indicate that the same 1s hingedly mounted in the wall.

A further object of the inventlon 1s to provide a lock of the characterdescribed which may be manipulated without the use of a key or otherimplement for the purpose y of releasing the panel or door in order thatit may be swung to an open position.

With the above objects in view the lock comprises a casing which isattached to the side of the frame in which the panel or door is-pivotally or hingedly mounted.

\ Spring pressed bolts are carriedY by the frame and a resilient catchis mounted 1n the frame.v A keeper is attached to the edge portion ofthe panel or door in a manner whereby the said keeper is concealed whenthe panel or door is closed. The catch enters the keeper and engagesheads provided thereon whereby the panel or door is held in a closedposition in the frame of the wall.

The spring pressed bolts bear at their outerends against the keeper andnormally hold the catch in an engagement with the heads.

In order to open the panel or door it is necessary only to swing thesame slightly in an inward direction whereby the bolts are retractedagainst their springs and the catch moves out of engagement with theheads and passes through a slot provided m the `side of the keeper underthe influence of the resilient shank of the catch whereby the keeper isreleased from the caslng of the lock and thepanel or door is forced openby springs in the casing. D

In the accompanying drawing; Figure 1 Specification of Letters Patent.

is a side elevation of a door or panel prov ided with a lock. Fig. 2 ishorizontal sect1ona 1 view of the lock. Fig. 3 is a perspectlve. view ofthe keeper of the lock. Fig. 4 1s a perspective view of the catchprovided? in the lock casing.

1s a detail sectional view of the lock casing showlng parts inelevation. Fig. 6 'is an edge view of the lock casing. Fig. 7 is a s1deelevatlon of the keeper.

The lock comprises a casing 1 adapted to be applled to the inner surfaceof the sides of the frame of the door or panel 2. A partltlon 3 islocated in the casing 1 and bolts 4 are slidably mounted in the saidcasing. The bolts 4 are provided with Shanks .5 which pass through thepartition 3. Springs 6 bear at one end against the partitlon 3.and attheir other end against l Patented May 16, 1916. Application ledSeptember 10, 1915. Serial No. 50,009.

tension with a tendency to hold the bolts 4 1n pro}ec`ted-pos1tion withrelation to the caslng 1.

A catch 7 is mounted in the casing 1 and lone end of the said catchprojects beyond the end of the casing. The catch 7 is mount- 'ed .upon aresilient shank 8, one end of which is secured to the side of the casingand the said catch is provided at its outer end with lugs 9 adapted toengage the heads provided in a keeper hereinafter to be eX- plained.

The keeper 10 is in the form of a plate which is angular in transversesection and `which is provided at its sides with openings 11 and 12.Heads 13 are provided upon the keeper 10 between the openings 11 and 12and the inner ends of the said heads are spaced from each other for adistance suiiicient to permit the shank 8 of the catch 7 to pass betweenthem. The heads 13 are provided with beveled sides 14 and inner sides 15which are disposed at right angles to that side portion of the keeper 10which is provided with the opening 11. The outer surfaces of the lugs 9are beveled as at 16.

Assuming that the parts are in position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawingand it is desired to swing the panel 2 to an open position, the operatorswings the free end of the panel in an inward direction whereby thebolts 4 are moved by the side of the keeper 10 in an inward directionwith relation to the casing 1 and against the tension of the springs 6.At the same time the heads 13 move in an inward direction away from thelugs 9 4and when the edges of the. said lugs arrive at` the openlngr 111n the I ke'eper 10, the tension of the resilient shank 8 comes intoplay and the lugs 9 are car- .ried through the opening 11 and the freeend of the catch 7 is moved so that the keeper 10 may slide past thesame. Thus the panel 2 is released and under the' tension of the springs6 which operate the bolts 4, the panel is swung to an open position whenpressure is removed from the free edge portion thereof. Thus the saidpanel or door- 2 is opened. When it is desired to close the panel andsecure the same in the closed position the free edge portion thereof isswung toward the casing 1 and the beveled surfaces 14 of the heads 13engage the beveled surfaces 16 ofthe lugs 9 and the lugs are carriedinto' the keeper 10 and when their edges pass beyond the walls '15 ofthe heads 13 the spring shank 8 moves the lugs 9 in an outward directionwhereby they enl gage the surfaces 15 of the heads 13 and the panel ordoor 2 is secured in a closed position in the frame in which it ishingedly or pivotally mounted. By reference to Fig. 2 of the drawingitwill be seen that the inner or rear surfaces of the lugs 9 are chamferedor beveled, also the heads 13 are provided with'4 beveled surfaces 14.When the ldoor 2 is moved in an inward direction the resiliency of theshank 8 causes the end portions of the lugs 9 to pass through theopening 11, consequently as the door is swung to an.

open position the edges of the heads 13 at the sides of the opening 11are scraped by the beveled surfaces of the lugs 9. But as soon as thebeveled surfaces 14 of the heads 13 are moved beyond the lugs 9 thetension of the spring shank 8 moves the lugs 9 back into the path ofmovement of the beveled surfaces 14 of the heads 13, consequently whenthe door is moved to a closed position the beveled surfaces 14 of thesaid heads 13 encounter the lugs 9 and the ca tch is forced- `amartiFrom the above description'taken in con junction with the accompanyinkgdfrawing,

oc o vsimp eI sides with openingsfand having heads located between theopenings, the said heads being spaced from each other at their innerends, said catch having lugs, the keeper adapted to receive the lugs ofthe catch through the opening at one side, and the lugs of the catchadapted to pass through the opening at the other side to disengage thekee er.

2. lA ock of the character indicated comprising a casing, a catchresiliently supported therein and provided with lugs, spring pressedbolts carried by the casing, a keeper angular in transverse vsectionrovided at its sides with openings, said eeper also having heads locatedbetween the openings, the inner ends of the heads being spaced from eachother for a distance to permitv l the shank of the keeper to passbetween them, the lugs of the catch adapted tol enter the keeper andengage the heads thereof.

3. A lock of the character indicated comprising a casing, a catchresiliently supported therein and provided with lugs having beveledfaces, spring pressed bolts movably mounted in the casing, a keeperangular in transverse section and provided with openings at its side,said keeper having heads located between the openings, said heads beinprovided with beveled sides, the'inner ,en s of the heads beint spacedfrom each other for a distance su cient to permit the shank of the catchto pass between them, the lugs of the catch adapted to enter the keeperand engage the headsthereof.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

c AMASA M. JOHNSON. Witnesses:

MAMIE E. LONG,

.MARIE WASSERMAN.

